The+War+Divides+Ameica-Section+3

=How did American war effort in Vietnam lead to rising protests and social divisions back home?= Cronkite's criticism of American leaders optimism was that Johnson was very optimistic,Cronkite went to Vietnam and then came back and reported what he saw.People thought the draft was unfair. The poor and African Americans were being disproportionally drafted.There were antiwar protests on campuses, and the SDS - Students for a Democratic society even taught Teach-Ins and had "We wont go protests."The issues between students and authorizes at Berkley were from free speech. So our country was being divided.



The war divided Americans more deeply than any conflict since the Civil War. Senator Fulbright's opposition to the war hurt Johnson in congress, the senator was soon joined by like-minded activist who believed that American soldiers were dying in a war that had little to do with American interests. The draft soon became unpopular. At first there were volunteers, but then, they were becoming draftees, which angered people. Also there were more poor and African Americans being drafted. Which in return was unfair.



Activism spread across college campuses all over. Anti-war activity's were going on all over the world. The SDS ( Students for a Democratic Society ) was founded at the University of Michigan. They were formed to campaign again racism and poverty, but the SDS soon began campaigning to end the war in Vietnam. They organized teach-ins and demonstrations against the war and even had "We wont go" petitions. In 1964, the activists had a run in with the police. In California student protested against the schools decision to not allow them to use university grounds to organize off-campus political activities. They had the Free Speech Movement to contest the decision. When they did this, the police arrested them. Students then cut classes to support the FSM. Eventually their plan worked and they had a victorious ride to free speech on campus grounds. It even sparked off campus opposition of the war. American could watch the lack of progress on the news. The hawks and doves even drifted apart. Americans then watched the government officials issue a optimistic states. Then, the "Credibility gap" emerged.

Tet offensive was our turning point. Westmoreland said that the Vietcong were declining in strength and could no longer mount a major offensive. The Tet offensive was a coordinated assault on 36 providential capitals and 5 major cities. The communists planned to take and hold the cities until the urban population took up arms in their support. The fighting was fierce, but in the end American and South Vietnamese forces repelled the offensive and there was no popular uprising against the government of South Vietnam. the tet offensive was a strategic blow to the Americans. It demonstrated that the communists had not lost the will or the ability to fight on. Later on, President John stepped down.

Violence in the 1968 president race was a major thing. Johnson left the race wide open. In the spring and summer of the campaign, bullets struck down two Americans. Then Robert Kennedy was the next leader to fall. Kennedy said that "we are a great country, an unselfish country, a compassionate country." The murders on King and Kennedy put a dark shadow over the election campaign. They finally choose....Hubert to represent their party in the November election!

Violence then erupted outside the convention between police & protestors. The police beat people up with their nightsticks, and some portesters retaliated by throwing rocks and bottles at the on rushing tide of police. The television decided to air the acts of violence, and in shocked Americans. Richard Nixon then won the presidency. Nixon used a "Southern startergy" of courting more southern voters with appeals to law and order, striving to pull them away from their traditional support of the democratic policy. Richard Nixon's ascendancy marked a new Rublicab domination of the american presidtency!